“NAMA’s Washington Policy Conference is an important
opportunity for policymakers to hear firsthand from millers in their districts
and states,” NAMA Senior Director of Government Affairs Kim Cooper said. “This
outreach is absolutely crucial to advancing milling priorities like investing
in grain research and improving U.S. international food aid programs through
the farm bill process."
Yesterday, representatives from 11 NAMA member companies
participated in 56 total meetings with congressional offices, including key
members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. Given that the farm
bill is currently due for reauthorization by September 30, 2023, conversations
with lawmakers and their staffs focused on farm bill priorities, including:
“Putting the food back in food aid” by restoring farm bill-authorized programs to their roots as pure in-kind commodity donation programs. Increasing the farm bill’s authorization for wheat and barley research from $15 million to $20 million to support the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative. Ensuring that farm bill conservation programs do not further skew planting decisions away from food grains such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye.
The Washington Policy Conference was also timely considering that several supply chain-related bills supported by NAMA were voted on Tuesday, May 23 in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Specifically, the committee advanced top NAMA priorities around trucking, including a pilot program for increased trucking weights and an increase in axle tolerance to allow for dry-bulk shifts.
In the left photo: Beth Holzman (ADM), House Agriculture
Committee Chairman GT Thompson, and Cady Roberts (ADM). In the right photo: Brian
Doyle (King Milling), Rep. Tim Walberg, and Mike Fassezke (Star of the West).
The event concluded today with a meeting of the NAMA
Executive Committee, which included a briefing from USDA on new programs and
priorities.
“NAMA’s fly-in is a
chance for millers to connect the dots for our elected officials about how
policies being debated on Capitol Hill impact our businesses and the entire
milling supply chain,” said NAMA Chair Brian Doyle (King Milling). “Thank you
to all NAMA members who took the time to travel to D.C. for this event - your
advocacy makes a difference.”
NAMA’s policy priorities reflect the role of millers as a
crucial link in the food supply chain. More information is available online at
namamillers.org/our-priorities.
About NAMA:
NAMA is the only national trade association that exclusively
represents the interests of the North American wheat, corn, oat, and rye
milling industry before Congress, federal agencies, and international
regulatory bodies. Member companies operate mills in 32 states, Puerto Rico,
and Canada, representing more than 90 percent of total industry production
capacity.
The North American Millers’ Association is an equal
opportunity provider and employer. Persons who require alternative means of
communication for program information should contact
generalinfo@namamillers.org or 202-484-2200.
Source: Email/GFMM
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